Plastics are used to make a variety of items. For example, plastics can be used to make a variety of toiletry items, such as deodorant applicators, among others. As illustrated by FIGS. 1-3B, typically, a deodorant applicator 2 includes a housing 4, a threaded screw 6, including a screw shaft 8 and a screw knob 10, and a threaded elevator or receptacle 12 with an integral threaded section 14. The deodorant (not shown), gel or solid, is deposited on the receptacle 12 and the screw 6 is inserted through the center of the receptacle 12 so that when the knob 10 is rotated, the receptacle 12 rises, dispensing the deodorant. This threaded receptacle 12 is typically formed in a mold with a threaded insert. In order to eject the molded elevator from the mold, the insert is first unscrewed from the molded elevator, subjecting the molded threads of the elevator to damage caused by the friction of this unthreading. In addition, due to the complexity of this mold, the mold itself is expensive.
During assembly of the deodorant applicator 2, the screw 6 is typically rotated at high speeds into the receptacle 12 until the screw 6 bottoms out in the receptacle 12. The high speeds of this coupling process subjects the screw 6 and the threads 14 of the receptacle 12 to heat caused by friction, thus subjecting the screw 6 and the threads 14 of the receptacle 12 to damage caused by the heat, such as melting and/or deformation. In order to combat this damage, the speed of assembling the screw 6 and receptacle 12 is typically restricted in order to reduce the heat experienced by the screw 6 and the receptacle 12. However, limiting the speed reduces the number of applicators 2 produced per minute, thus reducing productivity and increasing costs, and fails to entirely eliminate the heat experienced by the screw 6 and the receptacle 12. Whether the screw 6 and the elevator 6 are coupled at high or low speeds, this coupling process is time consuming. Additionally, the receptacle 12 is typically formed from a different material than the screw 6 in order to further limit the potential damage caused by friction. However, due to this mix of materials, the deodorant applicator 2 cannot be recycled. While a deodorant applicator is described herein, it is to be understood that the applicator can be used to dispense any suitable type of toiletry or cosmetic.